Pyramid 3-39: Steampunk 2 Electric Boogaloo

Tzeentch · 01-20-2012, 05:46 PM

-- Finally had time to read through this months Pyramid and here are my initial impressions. Note: I'm NOT really a fan of steampunk beyond an appreciation for the aesthetic sensibilities. I did contribute to GURPS Steam-Tech, but I otherwise have only a limited interest in the genre.

TLDR: Amazing issue. Even if you don't like the genre you are doing yourself a disservice not to check this issue out.

ORDER OF PRECEDENCE (William Stoddard)
-- I found GURPS Social Engineering to be an interesting read, but difficult to apply to actual gaming issues. In particular, I've been stumped on how to use it to describe the complex social realities of the latter Roman Empire (circa 3rd century). This article is, at its heart, a worked example of how to use the Social Engineering rules to add depth and complexity to Status and Rank that better reflects the realities of the society - and do so in a way that is actually pretty simple and common-sense once you put everything into summary tables.

-- This particular example, true to the issue theme, is that of the British society in the late 19th century, which is a very tumultuous time in history, and for the British Empire in particular. Beginning with a layout of the British social hierarchy (Status table from Ranks -2 (cottager) to 8 (emperor/empress)) it then delves deep into a description of peerage, a concise description of who the gentry were, and how the Social Engineering technical terms of ascribed vs. imputed Status work here.

-- After that, it breaks down servant Status (I would argue this is rather meaningless in most games, but it's an interesting worked example) and then goes into the various organizations that hold military, moral, and legal power within the Empire. Among these are the Church of England (Religious Rank), Navy and Army (Military Rank), Scotland Yard (Police Rank), and government positions (Administrative Rank - albeit much more vague than the others).

-- If that was all I would have been informed and thought "good article", but what really sets this one apart is the section on Outsiders. As adventurers are almost always outsiders in some way (either from a lack of Disadvantages, or possessing socially uncomfortable Advantages) this is very important from a roleplaying perspective - what is the milieu in which the characters are expected to interact with the common man, the elite, and the brigand? Here we find (albeit briefly due to wordcount restrictions) topics on religious discrimination, sexism, and sexuality - topped off by a BOX text on how to use Status in supporting roles (e.g. Leadership and Propaganda).

-- Finally, the article ends with a discussion of how you rise and fall in the British social ladder. Which I found a bit "meh" as I don't really enjoy the kind of social finagling that this would realistically entail (and is laid out here) but there's something here even for mechanics junkies like me - notably faking your way as a member of the snobbish upper classes (i.e. faking accents and trivia knowledge that is used by the elite to identify each other).

-- My hat off to Stoddard for this article. In many ways this is a stronger work than Social Engineering itself - which can be a bit impenetrable and dense without a good explanation of what applies in which situation (i.e. too many ingredients, not enough recipes). I'm still not sure what to do about my Roman problem, but this article does give me a lot to think about.

ACROSS AFRICA WITH IRON AND STEAM (Matt Riggsby)
-- Matt seems to be the equivalent of a staff writer on Pyramid these days, churning out high quality articles almost every month. This article describes a plausible alternate history where railroads were much more aggressively built in Africa in the latter 19th century, and the various political issues and adventuring seeds that grow out from that idea.

-- I'm not really a Steampunk campaign person so I can't comment on the usefulness of the material, but I will point out that entire article (minus one vehicle write-up) is rules-agnostic and can be dropped into ANY campaign with a minimum of fuss (and since many steampunk campaigns largely ignore Africa anyways, it can even be used in existing campaigns I bet).

-- I did find the map to be terrible though. Not only does it break cartographic convention by having 'up' be East, it lacks a scale and even a key. Rivers also extend into the ocean and other weirdness. I understand this was probably thrown together pretty quickly in Illustrator, but it looks kind of shabby.

NECROMENSCHEN (Sean Punch)
-- Sean doesn't disappoint when it comes to undead. You can tell he really loves this genre, and spends far too much time figuring out the GURPS mechanics of various 'types' of undead in print and film. In this particular case he focuses on the useful, working undead of the Frankenstein or Blutkreuz Korps (Dust Tactics) bent. Starting from a base undead worker template (the German term Necromensch makes it sound much more technical and scientific I will admit) he then adds a number of lenses that account for the energy source of the undead (coal powered a la Cryx undead in Iron Kingdoms), superserums (similar to what the Blutkreuz use), and even Tesla style wireless electricity. Finally, it has lenses that take the undead from shambling worker to ubernecromenschen (sadly, that term is not actually used) by making them almost impossible to kill or appear well-preserved.

-- The only drawback to the article is that the 'Necromenschen in the Campaign' section is a bit anemic (dare I say, skeletal) and didn't really have the same wow and cool factor of the rest of the article. But it's basically mandatory to have something of that vein to animate the body of the article .... ok I'm getting carried away.

-- Thumbs up on this article. Sean's passion for dead things (hur hur) really shows through, even in what at first glance is a very stat-heavy article.

EIDETIC MEMORY: THE CLANKERS (David Pulver)
-- First off, good lord, David has played in a WIDE range of game campaigns over the years. I'm really jealous.

-- This article is really a short adventure set in a rather vague-but-typical steampunk world ("clanks" makes me think of Girl Genius, but the adventure to slot in to any world with steam-powered mecha).

-- Honestly, not much use to me. I skimmed through it pretty fast - mainly stopping to read the awesome pullquotes. Sorry, David! :)

[continued below, ran into the post size limit]

Tzeentch · 01-20-2012, 05:48 PM

A WHISPER IN THE SKY (Michele Armellini)
-- Gliders in a world where powered heavier-than-air vehicles are impractical? This is a bit different from the (AFAIK) typical airships and biplanes type of steampunk setting, but it's not SO unfamiliar that you can't see the applicability. Heck, even in a world with clock spring or steam airscrew aircraft there may be a niche for gliders.

-- Anyways, the article has an interesting (to me at least) historical overview of glider development, and then gets into the nuts-and-bolts of using gliders in GURPS. The first part of this integration is by describing some uses for gliders in a steampunk world that are analogous to powered aircraft, but reflecting their different limitations and capabilities. So you have gliders being used as signs of status and daring-do (as they are less forgiving to pilot, being a glider ace is a big deal) and use as landers or even anti-airship (using gunpowder rocket boosters).

-- The game rules almost entirely references material that already exists in GURPS Basic Set. I know GURPS Vehicles, Second Edition was referenced, but that's more to make sure that the vehicle statistic write-ups make sense (so no glide ratio formulas here). Even so, Michele had to create glider-specific rules that didn't require much complexity and can be easily slotted in to a game with minimal surprises (i.e. "I need WHAT skill?!").

-- There are five gliders presented with background and rules, all of which purport to exist in the same world. This means the fluff is consistent between them, and the stats make sense relative to each other - which may be useful or a problem depending on how you want to use this article.

-- Even if you don't intend to run gliders as the main competitor to dirigibles for air dominance, you may find the elegant and concise glider rules to be generally useful in any GURPS game.

THE MOHOCKS (J. Edward Tremlett)
-- Victorian-era cyberpunk analogues? That's the feel I got from this article. And it was a GOOD feeling. Based on the historical Mohocks (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohocks) this takes the idea and rolls with it. Rolls with it right into awesome territory. Like I said above, I'm not really a steampunk fan - but these guys are so flavorful and so wonderfully alien-yet-somewhat contemporary that they can be slotted into almost ANY game set in ANY time period. Mohocks terrorizing people with their implanted cyberspurs? Hell, don't even have to change anything but the date! Mohocks as the spoiled offspring of Senators and set in the Republican Rome? Maybe change the name and voila, instant campaign seeds.

-- I liked this article so much that I don't even want to talk about it too much, for fear people would get the gist of it and decide they didn't need the article to read. Really, it's that good.

-- Although I would have to rate Stoddard's article a bit ahead simply because it is more directly applicable to what I'm working on now, I have to say this is one of the few "campaign flavor" Pyramid articles that I've read and actually sat up straight for, so that I was properly focused and didn't miss anything. Honestly the issue is worth it for the article alone in my humble opinion (ok that's a little bit of hyperbole; I wouldn't pay $8 for it ALONE, but it would be damn tempting!).

RANDOM THOUGHT TABLE (Steven Marsh)
-- I normally don't mention these, because they tend to be a mishmash of ideas (which is the point, I know) that are just value-added to the rest of the issue. I doubt anyone buys Pyramid for this part of the issue. But, I will point out that I quite liked his comments this month on Victorian sexism and how steampunk may interact with it. It's a topic that's usually just glossed over ("equal rights for everyone", or at least "equal rights for adventuring women!") so kudos.

umbros · 01-22-2012, 07:30 PM

I watched a show on PBS tonight called "Secrets of the Manor House" that illustrates the society described in "Order of Precedence". Pretty interesting I thought.

J. Edward Tremlett · 01-22-2012, 07:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tzeentch

THE MOHOCKS (J. Edward Tremlett)
-- Victorian-era cyberpunk analogues? That's the feel I got from this article. And it was a GOOD feeling.

-- I liked this article so much that I don't even want to talk about it too much, for fear people would get the gist of it and decide they didn't need the article to read. Really, it's that good.

-- Although I would have to rate Stoddard's article a bit ahead simply because it is more directly applicable to what I'm working on now, I have to say this is one of the few "campaign flavor" Pyramid articles that I've read and actually sat up straight for, so that I was properly focused and didn't miss anything. Honestly the issue is worth it for the article alone in my humble opinion (ok that's a little bit of hyperbole; I wouldn't pay $8 for it ALONE, but it would be damn tempting!).

*takes a very humbled bow*

That's high praise indeed, Tzeentch. I'm really glad you liked it.

ChemGeek · 01-23-2012, 01:54 PM

Thanks to PMandrekar for pointing out the new Pyramid issue to me. And thanks to Tzeentch for the reviews.

I will be buying this issue tonight when I get home.

I am about to start running a Steampunk campaign (there is a separate thread in GURPS about the Circus and Steampunk campaign), and I plan to use various aspects from this issue, either whole clothe, or find aspects I need.

The material on Social Engineering may be very useful given the nature of the campaign (players are undercover agents in a traveling circus). And of course trains and clanks will be necessary aspects of the game

Are there any rumblings of a 4th edition Steampunk project?

I look forward to more Steampunk material!

Tim

Michele · 01-24-2012, 02:05 AM

My contribution to this issue was gear, and I believe that a Steampunk adventure needs tons of it! So I liked the other articles providing it.

But I think that while we want our steampunk adventurers to drive a steam landcruiser or pilot a rocket-boosted glider, we also want them to behave and think like Victorians, not like us; and we want them to drive and pilot against a gorgeous backdrop brimming with possibilities.

So the articles that really gave me inspiration for a one-off steampunk adventure are Order of Precedence and Across Africa with Iron and Steam.

DaibhidC · 01-31-2012, 10:09 AM

I really enjoyed the issue, but I have to make one minor correction. You attribute "Just Glue Some Gears On It (And Call It Steampunk)" to Professor Elemental and Mr B, the Gentleman Rhymer. In fact, it was by Sir Reginald Pikedevant, Esq, although the YouTube video aknowledges the aforementioned purveyors of "chap-hop" as inspiration.

ULFGARD · 02-01-2012, 01:45 PM

Order of Precedence was worth the price of admission. I'm not a steampunk fan (though I don't dislike the genre, it's just not my thing) so I would likely not have purchased it but for this article. It was a GREAT worked example. I'm now working through the other articles, mining them for things I might use in my own campaigns and generally enjoying them.

01-20-2012, 05:46 PM	#1
Tzeentch Join Date: Aug 2004	Pyramid 3-39: Steampunk 2 Electric Boogaloo -- Finally had time to read through this months Pyramid and here are my initial impressions. Note: I'm NOT really a fan of steampunk beyond an appreciation for the aesthetic sensibilities. I did contribute to *GURPS Steam-Tech, but I otherwise have only a limited interest in the genre. TLDR: Amazing issue. Even if you don't like the genre you are doing yourself a disservice not to check this issue out.* ORDER OF PRECEDENCE (William Stoddard) -- I found *GURPS Social Engineering* to be an interesting read, but difficult to apply to actual gaming issues. In particular, I've been stumped on how to use it to describe the complex social realities of the latter Roman Empire (circa 3rd century). This article is, at its heart, a worked example of how to use the Social Engineering rules to add depth and complexity to Status and Rank that better reflects the realities of the society - and do so in a way that is actually pretty simple and common-sense once you put everything into summary tables. -- This particular example, true to the issue theme, is that of the British society in the late 19th century, which is a very tumultuous time in history, and for the British Empire in particular. Beginning with a layout of the British social hierarchy (Status table from Ranks -2 (cottager) to 8 (emperor/empress)) it then delves deep into a description of peerage, a concise description of who the gentry were, and how the Social Engineering technical terms of ascribed vs. imputed Status work here. -- After that, it breaks down servant Status (I would argue this is rather meaningless in most games, but it's an interesting worked example) and then goes into the various organizations that hold military, moral, and legal power within the Empire. Among these are the Church of England (Religious Rank), Navy and Army (Military Rank), Scotland Yard (Police Rank), and government positions (Administrative Rank - albeit much more vague than the others). -- If that was all I would have been informed and thought "good article", but what really sets this one apart is the section on Outsiders. As adventurers are almost always outsiders in some way (either from a lack of Disadvantages, or possessing socially uncomfortable Advantages) this is very important from a roleplaying perspective - what is the milieu in which the characters are expected to interact with the common man, the elite, and the brigand? Here we find (albeit briefly due to wordcount restrictions) topics on religious discrimination, sexism, and sexuality - topped off by a BOX text on how to use Status in supporting roles (e.g. Leadership and Propaganda). -- Finally, the article ends with a discussion of how you rise and fall in the British social ladder. Which I found a bit "meh" as I don't really enjoy the kind of social finagling that this would realistically entail (and is laid out here) but there's something here even for mechanics junkies like me - notably faking your way as a member of the snobbish upper classes (i.e. faking accents and trivia knowledge that is used by the elite to identify each other). -- My hat off to Stoddard for this article. In many ways this is a stronger work than Social Engineering itself - which can be a bit impenetrable and dense without a good explanation of what applies in which situation (i.e. too many ingredients, not enough recipes). I'm still not sure what to do about my Roman problem, but this article does give me a lot to think about. ACROSS AFRICA WITH IRON AND STEAM (Matt Riggsby) -- Matt seems to be the equivalent of a staff writer on Pyramid these days, churning out high quality articles almost every month. This article describes a plausible alternate history where railroads were much more aggressively built in Africa in the latter 19th century, and the various political issues and adventuring seeds that grow out from that idea. -- I'm not really a Steampunk campaign person so I can't comment on the usefulness of the material, but I will point out that entire article (minus one vehicle write-up) is rules-agnostic and can be dropped into ANY campaign with a minimum of fuss (and since many steampunk campaigns largely ignore Africa anyways, it can even be used in existing campaigns I bet). -- I did find the map to be terrible though. Not only does it break cartographic convention by having 'up' be East, it lacks a scale and even a key. Rivers also extend into the ocean and other weirdness. I understand this was probably thrown together pretty quickly in Illustrator, but it looks kind of shabby. NECROMENSCHEN (Sean Punch) -- Sean doesn't disappoint when it comes to undead. You can tell he really loves this genre, and spends far too much time figuring out the GURPS mechanics of various 'types' of undead in print and film. In this particular case he focuses on the useful, working undead of the Frankenstein or Blutkreuz Korps (Dust Tactics) bent. Starting from a base undead worker template (the German term Necromensch makes it sound much more technical and scientific I will admit) he then adds a number of lenses that account for the energy source of the undead (coal powered a la Cryx undead in Iron Kingdoms), superserums (similar to what the Blutkreuz use), and even Tesla style wireless electricity. Finally, it has lenses that take the undead from shambling worker to ubernecromenschen (sadly, that term is not actually used) by making them almost impossible to kill or appear well-preserved. -- The only drawback to the article is that the 'Necromenschen in the Campaign' section is a bit anemic (dare I say, skeletal) and didn't really have the same wow and cool factor of the rest of the article. But it's basically mandatory to have something of that vein to animate the body of the article .... ok I'm getting carried away. -- Thumbs up on this article. Sean's passion for dead things (hur hur) really shows through, even in what at first glance is a very stat-heavy article. EIDETIC MEMORY: THE CLANKERS (David Pulver) -- First off, good lord, David has played in a WIDE range of game campaigns over the years. I'm really jealous. -- This article is really a short adventure set in a rather vague-but-typical steampunk world ("clanks" makes me think of Girl Genius, but the adventure to slot in to any world with steam-powered mecha). -- Honestly, not much use to me. I skimmed through it pretty fast - mainly stopping to read the awesome pullquotes. Sorry, David! :) [continued below, ran into the post size limit] Last edited by Tzeentch; 01-20-2012 at 05:51 PM.

01-20-2012, 05:48 PM	#2
Tzeentch Join Date: Aug 2004	Re: Pyramid 3-39: Steampunk 2 Electric Boogaloo A WHISPER IN THE SKY (Michele Armellini) -- Gliders in a world where powered heavier-than-air vehicles are impractical? This is a bit different from the (AFAIK) typical airships and biplanes type of steampunk setting, but it's not SO unfamiliar that you can't see the applicability. Heck, even in a world with clock spring or steam airscrew aircraft there may be a niche for gliders. -- Anyways, the article has an interesting (to me at least) historical overview of glider development, and then gets into the nuts-and-bolts of using gliders in GURPS. The first part of this integration is by describing some uses for gliders in a steampunk world that are analogous to powered aircraft, but reflecting their different limitations and capabilities. So you have gliders being used as signs of status and daring-do (as they are less forgiving to pilot, being a glider ace is a big deal) and use as landers or even anti-airship (using gunpowder rocket boosters). -- The game rules almost entirely references material that already exists in *GURPS Basic Set. I know GURPS Vehicles, Second Edition* was referenced, but that's more to make sure that the vehicle statistic write-ups make sense (so no glide ratio formulas here). Even so, Michele had to create glider-specific rules that didn't require much complexity and can be easily slotted in to a game with minimal surprises (i.e. "I need WHAT skill?!"). -- There are five gliders presented with background and rules, all of which purport to exist in the same world. This means the fluff is consistent between them, and the stats make sense relative to each other - which may be useful or a problem depending on how you want to use this article. -- Even if you don't intend to run gliders as the main competitor to dirigibles for air dominance, you may find the elegant and concise glider rules to be generally useful in any GURPS game. THE MOHOCKS (J. Edward Tremlett) -- Victorian-era cyberpunk analogues? That's the feel I got from this article. And it was a GOOD feeling. Based on the historical Mohocks (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohocks) this takes the idea and rolls with it. Rolls with it right into awesome territory. Like I said above, I'm not really a steampunk fan - but these guys are so flavorful and so wonderfully alien-yet-somewhat contemporary that they can be slotted into almost ANY game set in ANY time period. Mohocks terrorizing people with their implanted cyberspurs? Hell, don't even have to change anything but the date! Mohocks as the spoiled offspring of Senators and set in the Republican Rome? Maybe change the name and voila, instant campaign seeds. -- I liked this article so much that I don't even want to talk about it too much, for fear people would get the gist of it and decide they didn't need the article to read. Really, it's that good. -- Although I would have to rate Stoddard's article a bit ahead simply because it is more directly applicable to what I'm working on now, I have to say this is one of the few "campaign flavor" Pyramid articles that I've read and actually sat up straight for, so that I was properly focused and didn't miss anything. Honestly the issue is worth it for the article alone in my humble opinion (ok that's a little bit of hyperbole; I wouldn't pay $8 for it ALONE, but it would be damn tempting!). RANDOM THOUGHT TABLE (Steven Marsh) -- I normally don't mention these, because they tend to be a mishmash of ideas (which is the point, I know) that are just value-added to the rest of the issue. I doubt anyone buys Pyramid for this part of the issue. But, I will point out that I quite liked his comments this month on Victorian sexism and how steampunk may interact with it. It's a topic that's usually just glossed over ("equal rights for everyone", or at least "equal rights for adventuring women!") so kudos.

01-22-2012, 07:30 PM	#3
umbros Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Danville, VA USA	Re: Pyramid 3-39: Steampunk 2 Electric Boogaloo I watched a show on PBS tonight called "Secrets of the Manor House" that illustrates the society described in "Order of Precedence". Pretty interesting I thought. __________________ Google+ Profile GURPS Dungeon Fantasy Google+ Community

01-23-2012, 01:54 PM	#5
ChemGeek Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Madison, WI	Re: Pyramid 3-39: Steampunk 2 Electric Boogaloo Thanks to PMandrekar for pointing out the new Pyramid issue to me. And thanks to Tzeentch for the reviews. I will be buying this issue tonight when I get home. I am about to start running a Steampunk campaign (there is a separate thread in GURPS about the Circus and Steampunk campaign), and I plan to use various aspects from this issue, either whole clothe, or find aspects I need. The material on Social Engineering may be very useful given the nature of the campaign (players are undercover agents in a traveling circus). And of course trains and clanks will be necessary aspects of the game Are there any rumblings of a 4th edition Steampunk project? I look forward to more Steampunk material! Tim

01-24-2012, 02:05 AM	#6
Michele Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Udine, Italy	Re: Pyramid 3-39: Steampunk 2 Electric Boogaloo My contribution to this issue was gear, and I believe that a Steampunk adventure needs tons of it! So I liked the other articles providing it. But I think that while we want our steampunk adventurers to drive a steam landcruiser or pilot a rocket-boosted glider, we also want them to behave and think like Victorians, not like us; and we want them to drive and pilot against a gorgeous backdrop brimming with possibilities. So the articles that really gave me inspiration for a one-off steampunk adventure are *Order of Precedence* and *Across Africa with Iron and Steam.* __________________ Michele Armellini GURPS Locations: St. George's Cathedral

01-31-2012, 10:09 AM	#7
DaibhidC Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Scotland	Re: Pyramid 3-39: Steampunk 2 Electric Boogaloo I really enjoyed the issue, but I have to make one minor correction. You attribute "Just Glue Some Gears On It (And Call It Steampunk)" to Professor Elemental and Mr B, the Gentleman Rhymer. In fact, it was by Sir Reginald Pikedevant, Esq, although the YouTube video aknowledges the aforementioned purveyors of "chap-hop" as inspiration.

02-01-2012, 01:45 PM	#8
ULFGARD Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Seattle	Re: Pyramid 3-39: Steampunk 2 Electric Boogaloo Order of Precedence was worth the price of admission. I'm not a steampunk fan (though I don't dislike the genre, it's just not my thing) so I would likely not have purchased it but for this article. It was a GREAT worked example. I'm now working through the other articles, mining them for things I might use in my own campaigns and generally enjoying them. __________________ Seven Kingdoms, MH (as yet unnamed), and my "pick-up" DF game war stories, characters, and other ruminations can be found here.